1. Journals

The Lonely Path to Death

Session
July 15, 2021

The party separated. They were starting to become friends but they were not close enough to be able to read each other yet. None of the party could see how distressed Ysera  was as she walked off. She was heading home. Eadwald  was relatively safe. The town guard and Commander Tullis  had shown up quickly each time anything happened in the Guard Ward. They had kept order well. 

 

She slowly walked towards her home. Her feet barely made it off the ground as she slid them forward. Her failed jump went over and over in her head. She had been so confident. She had practiced these kinds of jumps many times. Step, leap, and reach your hands out to grab the window on the other side. As her fingers reached the window sill, she felt joy knowing she had made her first real jump. Her legs came in behind her, and bounced. That is when it went bad. Her footing was supposed to stick, but instead she bounced. The movement popped her finger grip and she fell. The site of the stars above her was all she saw as she fell and smashed into the ground below. 

 

"Hey, can you help me," came a voice from the darkness. Ysera looked up to see an older human in the alley. Her confidence was broken, "Likely I would be no help, sir." She could not see it but he smiled a little. The dark figure in the alley had his quarry, "No you will be perfect". his voice sounded in need and soft, "My Lothcat is hiding over behind that trash pile. Can you go around to the far side and move it around a little.  I can catch it on this side". Ysera wanted to help. She desired to help, to be helpful. With a slight smile she looked up, "sure". 

 

She moved further into the alley. She was still shook up and did not see the mist descend on her. The man looked up in shock and pointed, "Watch out." She turned her back to him to look up. She saw the mist. In that same moment, his arms wrapped around her. He was like a vice. It felt a little safe as he came up and bit her just above her hair line. Life left her in seconds. Had she not been so hurt she could have fought him off, but now wounded, weak and scared, she just let him drain her of her life force. Life left her as her eyes looked up to the stars above. The last thing she saw as she passed were his fingers gentle closing her own eyes.